Tategami
by citrus luver
Summary: Prequel to Kame. A young Prince who is lost in a kingdom plagued by war and death and a peasant boy who is gifted with great magic, both are lost in time and alone, yet slowly they dream, a dangerous dream which is taboo to the Gods...
1. Chapter 1: Ketsuzen

**Tategami**

_By Citrus Luver_

**A/N:** Finally, the prequel to Kame. Ever wondered what Atemu's days as Pharaoh were like? What made him become the accursed king that is he remembered for? How he became imprisoned in the doll that Yuugi cherished so dearly? Finally, Tategami will shield light on the strange ending to Kame. Like with Kame, this fic will also have an animal title. Tategami means lion in Japanese. Japanese names will be used to fit in with the rest of the trilogy and because I haven't watched the dub in over a year. -.-

Also this fic will have shonen-ai (boyXboy love). Please use good judgment if you are not comfortable with shonen-ai pairings. I do NOT want to any flames about the fact the characters are gay. . Although for the time being, I will keep the pairings a secret.

As of now this fic will only have six chapters, but I'm clueless about their lengths. Some could be as long as some of Kame's chapters while others may be much shorter. Also this and Fenikkusu (the sequel) will be posted at the same time.

**Disclaimer:** No own Yu-gi-oh!

**Summary:**A young Prince who is lost in a kingdom plagued by war and death and a peasant boy who is gifted with great magic, both are lost in time and alone, yet slowly they dream, a dangerous dream which is taboo to the Gods...

**Chapter 1**

**Ketsuzen**

The blazing hot sun, the fiery hot sand and the lush tropic breeze blew through the palace garden. A lush field of green grass, a tall fruit bearing tree, and in the heart of the grounds a large artificial pond with hundreds of lotus blossoms floated in the water. Sitting on a corner of the pond, a young boy, about eight years of age with a dark tanned chest and a small white free flowing kilt, glazed into the distance. He had the most peculiar mash of tricolor color and a pair of stunning deep red violet eyes.

A stray tear traced the contours of the boy's face. He quickly rubbed him away. His eyes were redder than normal. He had seen them play. Everyone got to play games in their spare time. He wanted to play too. He even wanted to play ball with the palace servants, but they always looked at him scared. When they did allow him to join, they always fumbled with their words or dropped the ball.

"Prince! Prince!"

The boy cringed. He hated those words. It was would made him feel so alone all his life. He sighed before slowly standing up.

A young man around twenty appeared. He was dragging a beautiful white foal behind him. He seemed aspirated. "Prince! There you are! It's time for your riding lesson."

The boy frowned, a little annoyed when the other stuffed the rope attached to his foal in his hands. "Must we?"

"Yes, Prince! The Pharaoh will be most unpleased if you skip. Horse riding is a very important skill in times of war." The man scolded.

"I hate war." The boy stated simply. The foal whined as if agreeing with his master. The other looked at him a little sympathetically. It was a common reaction he frequently experienced. The boy prince knew he was an ideologist. He dreamt of a world without war, without conflict. He wanted peace in a time when thieves, murderers, and raiders roamed the land.

"War is a part of life, Prince, and so is riding. It's important for…"

"For every pharaoh to be a good rider," the prince finished. "I know, I know. You tell me every day."

The tutor sighed. It was a daily battle with the young prince. "You should care more, Prince."

"Why? It's stupid. Everything is stupid. I'll be king someday. I don't need to know everything. When I'm king, everyone will have to listen to whatever I say anyways," the prince added arrogantly.

"You aren't king yet, young prince. You have to learn to ride. The pharaoh's word is law." The tutor nodded towards the practice track. The prince sighed. He hated it. He hated everything. He hated Kemet. He hated the palace, and everything it resembled.

As the prince led his horse to the practice track, he gritted his teeth but held his head high. His earlier thoughts completely vanished from his thoughts. His tutor followed closely behind.

Like all eight year boys, the young prince held his pride dearly. Ever since his fifth birthday, every midsummer's afternoon the palace held a tournament. The tournament was not only to find able soldiers but also for the royalty to show their skills. The pharaoh, the priests, and the even the prince would partake in the festivities in horse racing, archery, and sword fighting. Only on that one rare occasion, did the young prince try. In that one afternoon, he showed his kingdom his true skills. In that one afternoon people could not say he was lazy. His father would always smile and nod at his tutors, for he believed it was they who taught the prince his skills. While in truth the young prince was blessed with them innately.

Night slowly fell in the palace. The young prince leaned against his balcony overlooked a neighboring village. The faint fires from the village were still twinkling. The prince could barely make out the faint traces of people moving around the roads. The prince sighed. He pushed back a piece of his blonde bangs before collapsing on the stone railing.

"Life sucks," he muttered. "I hate this place. I hate it!" He growled. The weight of his tiara felt imprisoning. He hated wearing it, but his father insisted when traveling guests visited from a far. He yanked the gold headdress from his mass of black and red hair. The rubies and emeralds glistened mockingly back at him. It was a strange, accursed irony.

Nobody saw him for who he was, and nobody tried. No one saw him as anything but the future pharaoh. He was nothing more a living god. Nothing else about him mattered. Nobody cared about what he liked, what he hated, and what he cherished. In the people's view he was like a one dimensional character in a children's novel. He sat the tiara on the balcony and stared at it and the hidden meanings that were behind it.

"I want to escape. Gods, I want to escape this life."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Slowly, time progressed.

And the boy prince lost his naivety. After his ninth birthday, the prince's father allowed him to attend the council meetings with his priests and advisors. The prince saw the wars that his father raged to protect the kingdom. The imposing laws he had to place on lawbreakers. And slowly the boy prince began to understand that peace was impossible. His utopian society where there was everlasting peace was an impossible reality.

Yet that afternoon, as the prince walked to the meeting hall from a sword fighting lesson, the palace seemed deathly quiet. Even the servants were muttering softly to one another, the air seem thick.

"Prince!"

The boy turned. He narrowed his eyes. It was his father's high priest Akunadin. The boy never liked Akunadin. There was something strange and distant about the old man.

"Priest Akunadin," the boy stated simply. The two never broke eye contact.

"Pharaoh wanted me tell you. The council meeting will be postponed. You are free for the rest of the day." The boy's eyes narrowed as a strange smile crossed Akunadin's face. It was a strange, sinister look.

The priest placed a hand on the boy's shoulders. The prince's eyes widened. It was a strange touch. One he had rarely ever felt beside from his mother. It almost felt… loving. "Don't run off Prince. Today is a joyous day."

The prince blinked. He watched Akunadin lightly bow to him before retreating.

"_Joyous day?_"

The prince watched the high priest disappear around the corner before the prince sprinted off into the distance. He left the palace doors to head for the corrals where the horses were kept. In the far distance the young prince could identify the 'pyramids' that held the pharaoh and priests' ka and spirit monsters. The boy shivered seeing them so still now. They normally gave off a bright gold tone. At night, he could even feel them pulsating. The boy knew that someday the center and largest of all the pyramids would house his own ka and spirit monsters, and the others would belong to his own most trusted six priests.

That was one thing the boy prince looked forward to that on his twelfth birthday he would begin his spirit and magic training. He would learn to conjure and bind monsters to do his bidding.

As he walked over to corrals, he wondered who his magic tutor would be. He knew that his father's advisors were already doing mock trials for his tutor. Whoever the person would be, they had to possess one of the greatest amounts of spiritual power in the kingdom. Yet, secretly he hoped it would be someone who cared for who he was, not who he was born to be. The boy prince knew it was tall order, but in his heart that was his one true wish.

Upon seeing his foal, the prince forgot his troubles. The young horse was a birthday present, and would someday be his war stallion. The foal immediately let out a happy neigh upon seeing his master. The prince grinned as he pulled out a lump of sugar. Immediately the foal pounced over to his master allowing the young prince to mount.

The young prince lost track of time and day. He couldn't remember how long he stayed with his horse before being rudely interrupted by a frantic servant. "Prince!" The servant immediately fell to his feet. The prince frowned as he returned his horse to the stable.

"Yes."

"Prince, your majesty requests your presence in the throne room." The servant fumbled with his words. He dared not look up at his master.

The prince blinked, confused. Seeing the cowering servant, the prince decided to not question such a strange request. He immediately ran to the throne room. Yet upon entering the palace doors, the palace seemed unearthly quiet. The guards seemed subdued. The servants all had their heads bowed. The prince bit his lips. He waited for the pair of guards to pull open the throne room doors. It was ghostly empty. He had never seen it so empty. The prince blinked. He could barely make out the form on the throne. It was hunched over and subdued, a ghostly figure.

"Father," the prince called. The man on the throne immediately looked up. He watched his young ten year old son and future heir walk to his side.

"A servant said you were looking for me, Father."

The pharaoh nodded. He slowly rose. Only then did the young prince realize how much his father had aged. The prince's eyes widened as the king pulled him into a tight hug. He felt his body go rigid. It was a strange feeling. It was almost taboo. His father never hugged him much less showed any signs of affection towards him. The king slowly pulled away, yet he did not move away. He let out a tired sigh before gliding his son to the throne.

"My son, you look away from me." The king lightly creased the boy's cheeks. "Have I failed you too my son?"

"Father?" The prince blinked. His red violet eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

The pharaoh sighed. He glazed down at his son's confused face. The boy looked up. His head tilted to the side. His blonde bangs covered the left side of his face. The boy seemed so young standing there.

"My son, I fear. Your mother is with the gods now." The prince looked up, confused.

"Mother? With the gods? What do you mean?" The red in his eyes slowly disappeared into a wisp of smoke.

"My son, she's gone. Her time here is over."

"Mother… is …" The prince looked away. He felt his body temperature dip. The harsh realization slowly crashed down. He understood, yet he couldn't accept it. "No! No!" The child let out a painful screamed. He felt tears transcend his eyes. He ran out the throne room, ignoring his father's cries. Everything made sense now. Why the soldiers and servants were so subdued. He crashed through the palace halls, knocking over pottery and bumping into servants. Nobody stopped him, and nobody dared. For once, the boy was thankful for his position in power.

Mere minutes later, the young prince stopped at the doorway of the infirmary. The holy scents still covered the room. He felt his breath hitch. The priests and the burial guards were already gathered preparing for the mummification. The room was dark. A nearly burnt out candle was the only source of light in the room. It cast long, subdued shadows on the walls.

Yet the prince noticed none of it. He only saw the beautiful, pale body of a young woman in her late twenties lying on the bed. Her hands were collapsed over her breast. A wilted lotus blossom was clasped in her hands. He bowed his head as he slowly advanced. He trembled. She looked so beautiful and at peace with the world. The boy prince collapsed onto the floor. He buried his face into the nock of his mother's neck. Unlike the many times before, she would not awake to comfort him. Instead, she would forever sleep on.

The guards chose not to remove the young prince. Instead they left the young child to mourn the death of his mother. It was long hours later after the boy had cried himself to sleep that he was removed from the dead queen's side.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

It would be days later after the body was sent to the valley of the queens did the prince learn from a young mage in training, Mahado, how his mother had died. It was in childbirth. She had bled herself to death. The heal could do nothing to save neither her nor the unborn child. The fact, that his parents had desired another child after so long, left a burning aftertaste in the boy's mouth.

That night and many nights afterwards, it still hurt. He felt as if a piece of his heart had been ripped out of his body. He hadn't only lost his mother, but he had lost someone who saw him more than just a prince but as a person. As he lay in bed clutching his covers, memories of his mother filled his mind.

He remembered her beautiful voice. When he was younger and sick, at night after the priests left, she would come to his room and sit by his side. She would take his burning hot hand and sing him to sleep.

He remembered his first riding lesson. She had been there to encourage him and make him forget his fears.

He remembered the first time he lost a swordfight. She was only one who didn't sympathize. Instead she simply creased his face and said, "There are wins and losses, as important as wins are, losses help us grow."

The prince couldn't help but wonder how losing his mother would help him grow. It just seemed so unfair. She was young and strong. Healthy people don't die, Mahado told him so.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Slowly time went on in the palace. The days were no longer bright instead the stench of death covered to fill the palace walls. The love and comfort that the empire's lovely queen gave off seemed to completely vanish.

The prince watched as his father, the pharaoh, slowly far apart. He noticed the minor chances in his father. No longer was the elder king vibrant. Instead he looked like the next day would be his last.

And the prince knew the priests and advisors were worried about his father and his sanity.

Ra had risen over the palace walls once again. A long council meeting on the dealings with the border villages had concluded. It was a long and tedious meeting. The prince still had a dazed look over his face when his father excused him and the rest of the priests. Yet, as he left the conference room, he noticed that Shimon had stayed behind.

The prince, curious, lingered behind.

"Pharaoh," Shimon twisted the sides of his robe. Both men seemed not to notice that the prince had not left the room

"Shimon," the pharaoh acknowledged. His face still hovered over the scrolls.

"Pharaoh, I do not wish to impose, but…" Shimon sighed. He glanced around the room as if he feared being overheard. The prince ducked behind a plant. He narrowed his eyes. He always had a suspicion Shimon knew more than he let out.

"Get on with it," the pharaoh growled.

"It's about the future… the prince."

"What about my son? He will be the heir, the next pharaoh when I am gone." The pharaoh snapped.

"I know, Pharaoh. The other priests and advisors we have been considering… marriage."

"Marriage?" the pharaoh narrowed his eyes. The prince felt his jaw fall open. He knew that day would come, the day when he would be forced to find a wife. The boy shivered at the thought. He never loved a woman besides his mother.

"Yes, marriage, with the empire so unstable, the prince should find his wife soon."

The pharaoh sighed. He rubbed his beard. A sad, lonely look creased his face. "Yes, yes. That is the best. We will hold a ball soon. The princesses from our neighboring countries will be invited."

"Thank you Pharaoh." Shimon nodded. He looked over at his pharaoh and sighed. Shimon knew even now, the death of his wife still affected the elder man. He felt sorry for his old friend. The two had been friends since they were children. "Pharaoh…" Shimon stopped and held back his words. It wasn't his place to speak, and it burned. He left the room… leaving only the pharaoh hunched over his desk, and the prince hidden behind a plant.

The prince watched his father's feeble form. The pharaoh was spinning a feather between his fingers. He looked as if he had aged so much just a few moments. Yet, Atemu could not feel sorry for his father. He glanced at the door. Shimon's words drowned through his heart.

The young prince knew. Marriage was ultimate. He could never escape after he became betrothed.

Slowly, as the prince walked back to his chambers, a dazed look on his face, a small plan began to take form in his head. A plan formed that would allow him to escape his duty as prince, a role that he hated.

That night, by a darkness of a new moon, the prince scaled the palace walls and disappeared into the night.

TBC

**A/N:** What do you guys think? Feedback please?


	2. Chapter 2: Kashin

**Chapter 2**

**Kashin**

A young boy with hair of ebony laced with streaks of red ran through the hot desert sand. He was a boy of ten years. A herd of goats followed closely behind him. The boy laughed as he ran. He jumped over sand dunes and darted past patches of hard sand.

The sun was starting to set as the boy approached his village. It had been a long day. As the summer days got longer it meant that he had to travel further and further to find suitable grass and water for the goats. The boy sighed as he brushed back a patch of damp hair. A loud 'baa' from one of his goats halted his steps. The boy turned around. He found that his goats had stopped following him and instead had formed a circle a few feet behind him. The boy sighed, a little annoyed. Slowly he walked over the goats and gave one a small nudge. The goat gave a long 'baa' but showed no sign of moving. The boy frowned. His goats were usually very well behaved.

He sighed and slowly pushed his way between two of the goats' bodies. As he reached the center, he gasped. A body of a boy who appeared to be of his own age was lying face down in the sand. The boy was dressed in a tattered white gown. A pair of wood sandals was lying by his body. Slowly the boy approached the other. He bit his lips. He was a little afraid to touch the body. He had held stories from other people in his village who had found people in the sands. Very rarely was the person still alive. The boy leant beside the body. Slowly he reached down and turned the body over, so that the other's face was no longer buried in the sand. The boy sighed in relief when he noticed the slow but steady puffs of air that touched his palms.

Even as he pulled the other boy closer to him, he wondered how he was going to get the other back to the village. By then the goats seemed to have lost interest and were starting to separate from the circle they had formed. He knew he had to get the goats back to the village before nightfall. The goats hated the dark. The boy sighed. He bent down and slowly pulled and half dragged the unconscious boy onto his back. He was grateful that the other was in fact much lighter than he appeared. The boy whistled a small tune after he had the other suited on his back. The goats formed a circle around him. In that manner, the boy walked back to the village. It was a long, arduous walk.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the first stars in the night sky started to appear above him, the boy reached his village. He was promptly met by the village elder and his daughter. When the young maiden of twenty saw the boy on his back, her eyes immediately widened. Within minutes the village healer and a group of the strongest men in the village had taken the boy into the healing house. The boy immediately followed.

Hours later after the other had been properly bathed and placed into a makeshift bed the village healer approached the boy. The boy had been silent throughout the whole ordeal. He hadn't even noticed he had been holding his breath until the healer lightly placed her wrinkled old hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up quizzically. The village healer simply nodded. The boy smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The days that followed seemed to feel like an eternity. He spent the nights in the healing house while during the day he found himself longing to be by the other's side. It was only after the village elder's daughter had promised that she would send someone to tell him when the other awoke did the boy agree to leave the village with the goats.

"You should sleep, child," the healer's voice cut through the silence. The boy looked up. His eyes weary from lack of sleep. The boy rubbed his amethyst eyes and shook his head.

"I can't. What if he wakes up?"

The other nodded. She looked on at the young boy in front of her. She sighed sadly and hoped for his sake the other would awake. It had been a many seasons since she seen the other so attached to another human. The boy's life had never been easy. Slowly she turned away and made walk to the back of the room. Each step was more painful than the one before. Too many painful seasons had passed for all of them.

The boy continued to hover over the other's body. A small moan escaped from the other's lips. The boy immediately jolted awake. His eyes widened when he noticed that the other was looking at him. "W…water," the other whispered. The boy immediately complied. He lightly tilted the other's head up and pressed a bowl of cold water onto the other's lips. The other managed to take a few gulps before falling back asleep. The boy sighed in relief.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As the first rays of Ra's glow appeared in the medic tent, the young prince awoke. He moaned. He felt as if he had been asleep from hundreds of years and all his muscles had fallen asleep. He blinked… a little unaccustomed to light and even more so to his surroundings. He glanced around the room and furrowed his brow. The room he was in was poorly built. Only then did he notice how uncomfortable his bed was, or that another body was laying at the foot of his bed.

His confusion caused his head to ache. He groaned. His head burned. As he raised his hand to touch his head, he noticed the white linen that was wrapped tightly around his hands and down the length of his arms. The prince blinked. Only then did he remember. He remembered how he had scaled the palace walls and walked blindly into the desert. He remembered collapsing from the heat, and he remembered a boy giving him water.

Only then did he notice the body before him stirring. He drew the thin sheets to his chin. This action seemed to have fully awake the other. The boy, whom the prince found to look strangely and eerily like himself, blinked. A smile appeared on the other's lips. "You're awake!"

The prince blinked, a little confused. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Ten days!" The prince's eyes widened. He had been gone from the palace for almost two weeks. He wondered if his father had sent guards to storm the villages, yet strangely when he looked at the other's face which appeared genuinely happy that he was awake the young prince found he suddenly didn't care about his father. "I'm so glad you're awake."

"Where am I?"

"My village's healing house." The prince blinked. "Oh, you must want to go home. Where do you live? I can take you when you're better."

_Home_. The word brought a bitter after taste to the young prince's lips. Home meant endless lessons, oppressive walls and other things which he didn't care about. "I don't have a home."

"Oh," the boy whispered. An uneasy silence lingered in the room. The boy looked down at fingers and bit his lips.

Suddenly he looked up, a smile slowly formed on his lips. "Well, you can stay here if you want. I can talk to the village elder. Oh, I'm sure he'll let you if you want." The young prince looked at the other boy. The other boy looked genuinely sincere about his offer. The prince nodded. The other broke into a large grin.

A loud rumble erupted from the prince's stomach. He immediately blushed. The other boy giggled. "I better get you something to eat." Before the prince could stop the other boy, he had already left. Minutes later the boy had returned carrying a wood board that supported two bowls of what the prince suspected to be food. The boy placed the board in front of the prince. The prince blinked at the food in front of him. There was a bowl of soggy green leaves on top of a very thin piece of a portion of what liked salted fish. In the other bowl was a very thin brown liquid and on the side was a piece of what looked like stale bread. For a minute he was tempted to demand the food was unsatisfactory. However, as he looked up to speak, the other boy was looking at him with a large grin on his face. The prince suddenly couldn't bring himself to complain. He smiled and picked up the bread. It looked the most edible. He studied it. He had never seen bread cooked like this. He bit down on a corner and slowly chewed. It was strangely very soft with a delectable sweet aftertaste. It was surprisingly very good. His initial apprehension fully disappeared when he tried the leaves. They too were seasoned magnificently.

"You like?" the boy suddenly asked.

The prince looked up. He immediately nodded. "It's delicious." The boy beamed.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The following days seemed to pass by faster than any the prince had ever experienced. Once he was strong enough to walk, the other boy whose name was Yuugi, a strange and queer name that seemed foreign, had taken him around the small village to be introduced to other people of the village. They were a poor band of villagers who lived in the outer rims of his father's empire. They were farmers, hunters, and herders. They lived off whatever nature decided to bless them with. They had been forced to abandon their original dwellings along the river for the protection that the sands gave them. When the prince had foolishly asked why they never petitioned the pharaoh for protection, he thought he felt an uneasy silence linger in the air.

It wasn't until hours later that he managed to get the answer from Yuugi. He seemed so uneasy when he muttered about their insignificance, lack of wealth and lack of grown men. Yet true to Yuugi's pleasant personality, he immediately asked him whether he wanted to help herd the village goats.

The prince had never herded a goat much less seen a live goat. His only experience with goats were the dead and cooked variety, but that was the past him, a him, that he never wanted to go back to. He immediately nodded yes, and Yuugi smiled.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wake up, come on wake up," a voice called the young prince from his slumber. The prince moaned. He flicked his hand and tried to wave the annoying voice away, yet the voice persisted. "Come on wake up."

The prince moaned. The voice persisted. Annoyed the prince opened his eyes expecting it to be one of his chamber guards. However, a pair of bright amethyst eyes peered down upon him. The prince blinked although when he saw the clay walls and the thin coarse blanket that covered him, the prince smiled. "I'm up. I'm up." Yuugi grinned. He set a bundle on the prince's lap. The prince looked down at the bundle. He fumbled with the knot. His hands felt frozen. It didn't help that the room was still dark. "What time is it?"

"An hour before sunrise," Yuugi answered. The prince blinked. He couldn't remember the last night he had awoken this early. "We got to hurry and get to the watering hole before the sun comes up. The goats don't like the heat." The prince nodded. He found a wool shirt, makeshift pants and sandals on his lap. He touched the shirt. He never felt a shirt so soft.

Yuugi noticed his actions. "It's wool from the goats. Well I'm going to get our food." Yuugi bounced out the room. The prince smiled. The other boy knew how to keep situations from becoming awkward. He slowly dressed in the clothes Yuugi had brought him. By the time Yuugi had returned with two large bundles and two goatskin water containers, the prince was fully dressed and cleaned. "Ready?"

The prince nodded. He followed Yuugi from the tent and found a large herd of what he suspected to be the goats lazily standing on the outskirts of the village. Yuugi passed one of the bundles to the prince before walking over to the goats. The goats seemed to recognize Yuugi and immediately encircled the boy. The prince looked on at the scene. He felt like he was intruding on a very private moment. He hesitated and slowly moved backwards. Yuugi seemed to have noticed. "Don't worry. They won't bite." Yuugi smiled. He reached down and picked up a baby goat. The kid immediately let out a happy 'baa' and nudged Yuugi on the cheeks. Yuugi laughed. He stroked the kid's head and walked over to the prince. "This is Pan. He was born this spring. Isn't he cute?" Yuugi beamed. Seeing Yuugi's smile and the baby goat nestled in Yuugi's arms, Atemu couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah…" the prince stretched out his hand. Still hesitant, his hand hovered over the goat's head. The baby goat immediately stretched out his neck and sniffed the prince's hand. Pan seemed pleased with the other's scent and immediately began to lick the prince's hand. Yuugi smiled. "Yeah, he is cute." The prince laughed as Pan continued to nudge and lick his hand happily. Yuugi smiled and placed Pan on the ground. The baby goat circled the two boys once before returning to the herd.

Such a simple act seemed to have relieved the prince of any further apprehension. He didn't even notice the long walk to the grazing ground. Yuugi showed him some of the prominent 'landmarks', the different rocks and sand mounds, as they walked by. The prince couldn't tell the difference, so he could only politely nod or occasionally comment that he noticed the small differences between the different sand mounds. He hoped he never got separated from the other. He wasn't sure how he would make it back.

Once at the grazing ground, the goats seemed to simply disperse to different locations. Some immediately walked to the water hole and started lapping up the water. Others lay down beneath a lone tree while others grazed on the sundried grass.

"Goat herding isn't very exciting huh?" Yuugi asked a while later. The prince turned and found the other boy lying on the grass. His hands tucked under his head. There was a small smile on his face.

"No, I mean," the prince fumbled. "I like it. It's peaceful… and simple."

Yuugi turned his head. His brow furrowed. He bit his lips when he noticed the momentarily sadness in the other's voice. "_Everyone has their secrets_," Yuugi thought. "Yes, yes it is."

When the sun climbed to the topmost location, they moved under one of the large trees. Occasionally there would be a cool breeze that blew from what the prince assumed to be from the river.

Once in a while Yuugi would notice a particularly interesting cloud and remark upon it. The prince, who had been taught that imagination was peasant ideas, could only nod or smile. To him clouds were clouds, and sometimes it meant good fortune when it brought rain. Sitting under the tree with Yuugi, it felt like another life when he was forced to attend council meetings to decide which priest to call upon from the nearby temples to perform the rain dance. They prayed for dark clouds which signaled rain and another wealthy harvest. However, to Yuugi clouds were animals, houses, and people. They seemed as real to Yuugi as the sands under his body or the goats nearby.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As summer waned into autumn and the days grew shorter, Yuugi's village began to feel more like home than anything the palace had ever felt like.

Now that the days were getting shorter, they started spending more time in the village than in the sands. The growing season had started. With the end of the yearly flooding season, the fields were ready to be plowed and the seeds ready to be planted. He had never planted crops or worked in the fields. He knew about the process from all the meetings he had attended. Every year farmers were expected to report their yearly yield to his father and council members to make sure the empire produced enough food for the people, the royal surplus and for trade with the nearby empires.

They spent their days plowing the fields. Yuugi showed him clever tricks to speed up the process. Each day meant another day of back breaking work. The elder men of the village used the few oxen that were available to pull the ploughs. While the children and women simply used their hands or made makeshift tools with the stone and wood that they had collected throughout the year. It was hard work from dawn until dusk. They left the fields every day with blisters on their hands and feet, yet never had the young prince felt so satisfied.

While the men and youth worked the fields the older women spent the day in the kitchen cooking. They would cook enough food for everyone. It was always simple food. The prince, who was used to eating greasy and fat food, was initially hesitate to eat the thin soup based meals. However over time, the prince came to agree with Yuugi's words 'food tastes even better after a hard day's work'.

As the planting season progressed forward, they were able to work less. As a result, Yuugi started teaching the prince how to play games that he learned like senet, twenty squares and snake. The boards they played on were old or makeshift but the prince could tell that Yuugi took great care and pride in his games.

"Nobody has time to play with me anymore," Yuugi had confessed initially when the prince found the games stacked neatly in the corner of Yuugi's room. "My grandfather used to play with me." That was the only thing the prince knew about Yuugi's family besides the fact that his grandmother was the village healer. The prince never asked, and Yuugi never divulged. They both had secrets and hurts that were buried too deep.

"You won." The prince sighed. He rubbed the back of his hair.

"Barely." Yuugi grinned. "It was close. You're getting better."

"I still can't beat you at Senet," the prince sounded a little annoyed.

"Sorry," said Yuugi sheepishly. "You can beat me at other games though."

Initially Yuugi beat the prince in every game. The prince still felt embarrassed by his reaction after his first lost to Yuugi. He wasn't used to losing. He never lost anything. When he was little, his tutors had been ordered to let him win. The children in the palace followed the adult's examples and became afraid to beat him. As he got older, he naturally won. After their first senet game when Yuugi annihilated his pieces, in a fit of anger the prince had overturn the board and stomped away in a raging fit. Hours later, he had returned and found Yuugi still sitting in front of the overturn senet board.

"Why?" he had asked.

Yuugi had looked up at him with a pair of piercing amethyst eyes. Even his tutors had never darned to give him such a look. "I was waiting for you to come back. You have to pick up the pieces." Yuugi had said simply.

In another time, the prince could have gone to his father and ordered for Yuugi to lose his head. However, standing in peasant clothes under the dark blue sky with Yuugi's amethyst eyes peering back him, he suddenly realized his insignificance. He wanted to stomp away again, yet Yuugi's disapproving look made him bend down and pick up the board. When he set the board back on the table, Yuugi was smiling again. When he had finished retrieving and brushing off all the sand from all the pieces, Yuugi asked if he wanted to play again. The prince thought Yuugi was mocking him, yet Yuugi's eyes said differently. The prince simply nodded.

"You're getting really good," Yuugi continued. "We'll be equals soon. I got to get better," Yuugi added teasingly.

"You better, pretty soon you won't be any competition," the prince boosted cockily.

"Yeah right."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

"Other me wake up, wake up." The prince blinked, opening his eyes. A pair of wide amethyst eyes stared down at him.

"Sleep, still early. Go away partner," the prince muttered. He turned over and pulled the blanket over his head.

Other me and partner, they were pet names the two gave each other. The prince had refused to reveal his name. His name was synonymous with the Gods. He was taught it should never be used freely. Initially they had avoided the awkward notion of names by never calling out to each other, however when the villagers started to mistake him for Yuugi and frequently called him Yuugi. Yuugi decided to jokingly call him the 'other me'. The villagers responded by calling him 'other Yuugi'. One thing led to another and eventually he started calling Yuugi 'partner'.

Yuugi smirked and reached for a particularly delicate spot on the prince's side. The prince immediately sat up. His eyes flew wide open. All signs of sleep disappeared from his mind. "W… what?"

"Today's the Heb-Sed Festival. We're going into town." Yuugi's face was vibrant and alive. The prince mentally cursed himself for not remembering. Yuugi had been excited and giddy for days about the prospect of going into town. The prince knew that most people in the village rarely went into town. Yuugi had only been into town maybe three or four times. However because it was the Heb-Sed Festival, the prince felt particularly uneasy. He remembered Shimon and his father's advisors had already started planning for the festival when he still lived the palace. Elaborate events and a grand feast had been planned. This year was his father's 30th year on the throne, and the festival was to honor those years and future years. He wondered if he would see his father and his advisors. The prospect frightened and made the prince nervous. As a result, he wandered through the morning in a daze. He couldn't remember what he ate that morning or how long the walk into town took.

"Other me, look … look," Yuugi's voice pulled the prince from his thoughts. He glanced around his surroundings and found himself in the center of what he suspected to be the local bazar. He remembered frequenting the bazar with Mahado, Isis and Seto years ago. He remembered hating the experience. Guards surrounded them on every side, and he was never allowed to touch any of the products. Yuugi was pointing at a particular delicate wood carving of a cat. "Look how alive it looks."

The prince blinked. He drew his breath. The craving did look strangely alive. He looked back at Yuugi who had picked up the carving and was turning it around in his hands.

"You like?" A voice broke the silence. A young girl was standing behind the booth. She had a wide smile on her face.

Yuugi nodded. "It's real good."

"My brother made it. He's really talented." The girl smiled. It was evident she was extremely proud of her brother. "You can have it," she suddenly added.

"I…" Yuugi blinked as did the prince.

"I don't think your brother would like it if you gave away his merchandise," the prince added.

The girl giggled. "He won't mind. Besides you're special." The prince blinked a little startled.

Yuugi left the booth blushing and with the small cat figurine in his hands. He was hesitant about approaching any other stand. Instead he clutched tightly to the prince's shirt. The prince knew Yuugi felt extremely guilty. He secretly promised himself if he got the chance someday he would repay the young girl and her brother for their kindness.

They spent the rest of the day walking through the town. During lunch time, they found a stand that was providing food. Everything was on a stick. Since it was Heb-Sed, all the food was free. Unfortunately the line was also very long. In front of them, a young man was talking very loudly to his friends. The prince tried to ignore the voice. However when the man mentioned palace priests, the prince couldn't help but listen. "They're still looking for the crowned prince."

"Is he really missing? People say he's really dead, and it's all just a cover up," one of the friends said. He looked apprehensive.

"Well they are offering a large reward for any clues. After this festival is over, I'm going to go look."

"How will you do that? You don't even know what he looks like." The friends laughed. The young man seemed to turn red and looked away. The prince immediately looked away. He found Yuugi staring at him curiously, but Yuugi was always good at not asking unnecessary questions.

The boys grabbed sticks of meat and vegetable from the stand. Grease drizzled down their cheeks and hands.

Yuugi's mood brightened considerably after lunch. The prince noticed that Yuugi suddenly became more talkative and lively. The little skip in his walk even returned.

"We should find a good spot for the parade," Yuugi suddenly stated. Ra was starting to set. The prince nodded. He suddenly became nervous again. He had forgotten about the parade and all the possibilities that went with it. Yuugi seemed to have dragged them through the streets. He finally led them to the town square. It was already crowded when they arrived. The prince let out a long sigh. People meant good hiding places. He could use them as shields. There was no way he would be noticed. It seemed Yuugi also noticed the fact, but his reaction was the opposite. "Aww, we got here too late. We'll never see anything among all these people."

"It's okay. I'm sure they will tower over the crowd anyways."

Yuugi didn't seem to hear the prince's words. He was too busy scanning the surrounding area. He immediately smiled. "There." The prince blinked. He mentally hissed when Yuugi led them to the fountain that was located on the edge of the square. The fountain's rim was still mostly empty. Only a few of the elderly who were too old to stand were using the rim as seats. Yuugi immediately positioned himself proudly on the fountain's rim. Before the prince could protest, the sound of the familiar palace entertainment echoed throughout the streets. Yuugi grabbed his shirt. He looked so excited.

When the first set of horses advanced with the ornate foot soldiers that led them, the prince relaxed. Although they were taller than most of the crowd, they were still too far away to be noticed. By the time the court belly dancers had passed through the square the prince was completely at ease. He even joined in the clapping and the cheering. For just a few minutes, the prince forgot he was the crowned prince.

However his face clouded over at the arrival of his father's closest advisors. Shimon was leading the procession. The old man looked like he had aged a decade. His hair seemed greyer. He looked tired, but he was waving. Shimon was always good at putting up an act. The sight of Mahaado and Isis among the procession startled the prince. He barely recognized Mahaado. When he had left the palace, Mahaado was still a teenage now he looked like an adult. The prince only recognized him due to the ornate staff that he was carrying.

Seto followed them. At least Seto didn't look aged. He still looked like that smug and arrogant boy the prince grew up with. Seto was always good with people. He had that smile that girls loved. The prince never understood. The cheers seemed louder for Seto. He was turning his head from side to side to attract additional. Suddenly they stopped in his direction. _Was he? Did he?_ The prince immediately backed up. He forgot he was standing on the fountain's rim. The step caused him to lose his footing, and he fell into the fountain. It was a hard fall with nothing to break the impact. He was immediately drenched in the murky water. He hissed at his stupidity.

"You okay?" The prince blinked. Yuugi's big amethyst eyes were hovering over him. A small crowd of equally worried onlookers were also looking at him. He nodded a little embarrassed. Yuugi helped him regain his footing. By then the parade had already ended. He had missed seeing his father.

As they walked over to the tables that had been set for the peasants' outdoor feast, the prince wondered if he was feeling regret or relief for haven missed seeing his father.

Eating with the peasants was different from eating with royalty. The atmosphere was livelier. Nobody seemed to worry about manners or etiquette. No one cared whether someone was sitting correctly or eating with the correct utensil. When the dishes were being passed around, the prince found he could pass over the dishes he disliked without repercussions. Nobody's head would roll if he didn't like a dish. He and Yuugi were sitting with a group of rumbustious siblings. They loved to talk and were overly friendly. They lived in the town, so when Yuugi revealed they lived in the sands they were instantly curious. They asked them tons of questions about their daily life and in return told them about life in town.

"Why you wet?" the sister asked between her third helpings of meat.

Yuugi, who noticed that the prince was still a little embarrassed by the incident, answered instead. "I accidently pushed him into the fountain." He scratched the back of his neck and looked genuinely guilty.

They were also heavy drinkers which the prince soon learned the hard way. As the night got longer, Yuugi became redder. He knew wasn't fairing much better.

It was also starting to get chilly and darker. Some of the more musically inclined or just too drunk to care people had gathered in the center and started making music. Some sang while others played music with random objects lying around. At first the less talented were booed by the onlookers. It was all in good fun. The prince could tell no feelings were hurt. Even the ones that tried taking swings at the closest onlooker that had booed at them, had done so playfully.

People also started dancing. It was less organized and structured dance. It also didn't always involve a man and a woman. There were even people dancing with their cats or dogs. Everyone was doing whatever they wanted to the rhythm of the music. "Wwant to dawnce?" Yuugi's drunk voice brought the prince back. The prince blinked. Yuugi had a silly look on his face. He couldn't help but laugh. "You neuver lawugh." Yuugi pouted. "Dawnce?"

"Err." The prince had never been good at dancing.

"Scawred?" Yuugi smirked. It was silly lopsided smirk.

The prince was someone who never accepted fear thus immediately shook his head. "No!" Yuugi grinned and immediately dragged him among the dancing couples. Yuugi was a surprisingly good dancer even in his drunken state. The prince watched Yuugi twist and turn to the music. Yuugi had a silly look on his face.

"Hey why you no dawnce?" Yuugi stopped when he noticed his partner wasn't dancing. He immediately grabbed the other's hand. He pulled him closer. "Relax," he whispered into the prince's ear. The word made the hairs in his ear tingle. Yuugi then pushed him away with a greater force than the prince ever thought the other possessed. He was soon pulled back in. The motion continued until the prince realized that Yuugi was trying to get him to dance. He felt so silly being pushed forward and back. He wanted to tell Yuugi to stop. However, before the words left his lips he noticed that nobody seemed to notice them. In fact most looked as silly as he and Yuugi did. He immediately relaxed and gave into Yuugi's actions.

And for once, dancing was actually fun.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

They fell asleep in the middle of the town square like many others. The prince woke first. He was disoriented and confused. Yuugi was asleep beside him. He blinked at the sun. The light hurt his eyes. His head was pounding. It looked like midday. He groaned and lightly shook Yuugi. The boy groaned and rolled away. He suddenly realized this must be what Yuugi felt every morning. The prince sighed. They had they get back to the village before night fall. "Come on, Partner. We got to go back."

"No, more sleep."

The prince sighed. He wondered if he could find the way back. Yuugi didn't seem like he wanted to wake up. He managed to stand up right. Being vertical seemed to help his headache. Being able to take in more fresh air also seemed to help. He slowly picked Yuugi up and placed the boy on his back. He was pleasantly surprised at how light Yuugi was. He was glad nobody noticed them. How funny the scene would be if anyone recognized him. In that manner, the prince and Yuugi left the village.

It was a long walk. At times he wondered if he was lost. However, occasionally he realized he did recognize a particular rock or sand dune that Yuugi had mentioned to him. However, as the sky got darker and their village was nowhere to be seen, the prince started to doubt himself.

"Other me," Yuugi whispered. The prince stopped. He gently set Yuugi down on the ground. "Where are we?" The boy blinked. "Weren't we at the village? Ouch," he moaned.

"Headache?" The prince asked. He remembered his first experience after drinking too much. He felt awful. Judging by Yuugi's ashen expression, the prince could guess how much his head hurt. Yuugi half nodded and half moaned. The prince suddenly felt sympathetic. "We'll be home soon. I'll carry you." Yuugi nodded, and the prince holstered him onto his back. They walked in silence for a while.

"Other me."

"Hmm."

"You called the village home."

"So."

"You've never called it home," Yuugi's words were soft, but it carried so much weight.

"Yeah, I guess I did. It is home." The prince smiled. "Home." Yuugi's grasp tightened for a second as if he was trying to give the other a hug.

"I'm glad, other me."

**TBC**

**A/N:** Review please! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and still care about this fic. It's been a really long time huh? To new readers of this saga, welcome! This fic is the prequel of an already completed fic called Kame and an in progress fic called Fenikkusu. Yes, I will be continuing Fenikkusu also. This trilogy will be completed. I still remember my original story idea, so all is not lost.

I know Yuugi isn't an Egyptian name, but I really didn't know what else to call him. I guess I could have found the Ancient Egyptian equivalent for game or something and named him that, but then instead I would be writing here about how it's a translation for Yuugi. So to save everyone the hassle, I just used Yuugi. Also, this fic will no longer be six chapters mainly because this chapter became way longer than I had initially planned. Instead of having a possibly 15,000+ words chapter I decided to just cut the chapter in half.

The other me and partner name calling thing is basically something that spans all three fics. Once again I'm too lazy to find the Ancient Egyptian equivalent of other me and partner and in this case using the Japanese words would be really weird. So I'll just use English.

Also maybe some people will notice how I retitled the first chapter of this fic. I actually went back and edited some of the first chapter. I also learned Japanese since I last touched this fic. The title of chapter 1 now is a better translation of the English word. Unfortunately, I also learned tategami is not the Japanese word for lion, but I'm not going to rename this fic. This fic's title should be lion. So, please work with me here.


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